Recipe: La Furtuna Farm Garden Focaccia

You’ve introduced a morning shot of LXR06 into your routine – now try the recipe inspired by Furtuna Skin’s Extra Virgin Olive OIl.

Furtuna Skin partnered with Los Angeles-based Loria Stern to create a special dish: a Furtuna Skin focaccia crafted with Bona Furtuna Heritage Blend Olive Oil. Loria; chef, baker, botanist, gardener, and artist, brings a fresh perspective to food with her signature style that transforms dishes into edible art. Inspired by the botanical ingredients in Furtuna Skin’s Biphase Moisturizing Oil, she’s created a beautiful recipe that pays homage to La Furtuna Farm, the 800-acre estate in Corleone, Sicily, home to many of the medicinal flowers that power their potent skincare.

Her garden-inspired focaccia is adorned with delicate designs: roses made from red peppers, marigolds and poppies crafted from orange peppers and tomatoes, Canduela from yellow peppers, and olive branches shaped from asparagus and scallion fronds. It’s finished with capers, olives, rosemary, and sage from Loria’s garden, along with a final touch of fennel pollen from La Furtuna Farm. Have you tried this focaccia recipe at home? It’s time to break out the olive oil…

La Furtuna Farm Garden Focaccia

By Loria Stern

Ingredients

Makes: 1 Focaccia

4 3/4 cups (585 g) all-purpose flour

11/2 cups (360g) lukewarm water

2 tablespoon Bona Furtuna olive oil (32g), plus more for greasing

1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup (20g)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (3g)

1 sachet (7g) of dried yeast

Colorful Vegetables
Red, orange and yellow mini bell peppers, heirloom grape tomatoes, asparagus, scallion, capers, olives, sage, rosemary, and fennel pollen.

*Optional
1 teaspoon fennel pollen

Method

Proof the Yeast
Add warm water and honey or maple syrup to the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment and stir to combine. Sprinkle the yeast on top of the water. Give the yeast a quick stir with a wooden spoon to mix it in with the water. Cover with a kitchen towel and then let it sit for 5-10 minute until the yeast is activated and foamy.

Knead
Set the mixer to low speed, and gradually add flour, olive oil and salt. Increase speed to medium-low and continue mixing the dough for 5 minutes or until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

First Rise
Remove dough from the mixing bowl and use your hands to shape it into a ball. Grease the mixing bowl with a touch of Furtuna olive oil, then place the dough ball back in the bowl and cover it with a kitchen towel. Place in a warm location and let the dough rise for 45 minutes or until it has nearly doubled in size.

Prep Veggies
While the dough is rising, prep your vegetables. Cut red bell peppers into rounds for the rose decoration, and the yellow and orange bell peppers into strips for the marigold and sunflowers. Cut several orange bell peppers into petals shapes for the poppies. Trim the asparagus and scallions long ways for stems of the olive branch. Chop kalamata or black olives for flower centers.

Second Dough Rise + Decoration
Once dough rises for the first time, punch down and then put your dough onto an olive oil greased baking sheet and press the dough down so it covers the baking sheet and is about 1/2” tall. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Now start decorating your blank canvas focaccia, imagining the stunning La Furtuna Farm. Remember that the dough grows and the veggies shrink while baking, so for bright and best results, cover the dough completely with various vegetable flowers and herb greenery. Before placing in the oven, sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt.

Bake
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the dough is slightly golden and cooked through.

To serve

Like most baked goods, this focaccia is best served straight from the oven. You can also let it cool completely and wrap in tin foil and store in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Original recipe by Loria Stern for Furtuna Skin.